§1What this business is
Bottles are rinsed and inspected, filled and capped on a filling-capping machine, passed through a tunnel pasteuriser (for beer), labelled with batch, lot and date details, and boxed for the warehouse. The report covers bottling of beer, wine and spirits such as whisky, gin, rum and brandy in a rented 1,500–2,000 sq ft unit. Every step of liquor production and bottling is licensed and supervised by the state excise department.
Capacity: Not printed in bottles; the report plans 50% capacity use in year 1 (sales ₹78.38 lakh) rising to 70% in year 5 (₹170.33 lakh).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone already in the licensed liquor trade with excise experience and capital.
Who it is not for
A first-time founder or anyone looking for a simple subsidised project.
Advantages
- Large and steady consumer market
- Machinery is standard bottling equipment
- Can bottle for licensed distilleries or breweries on contract
- Low break-even in the report (30%)
Drawbacks
- Needs a state excise bottling licence, which is hard and costly to get
- Heavy duties, permits and supervision on every bottle
- Liquor is an intoxicant, so many loan and subsidy schemes exclude it
- The sample report has copy errors; get a fresh, detailed report made
Skills you need
- Excise rules and record-keeping
- Bottling-line operation and hygiene
- Quality control and batch labelling
- Dealing with licensed distributors
Why difficulty 5/5: Excise licensing and state control make this one of the hardest small projects to start.
§3Market
Who buys
- Licensed liquor wholesalers and state beverage corporations
- Licensed retail shops, bars and hotels
How it sells
- State-controlled distribution (varies by state)
- Contract bottling for brand owners
Good to know
- Sale channels and prices are fixed by each state's excise policy, not by the bottler.
- The report expects sales of ₹78.38 lakh in year 1 rising to ₹170.33 lakh in year 5.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle washing, brushing and rinsing machine | — | — |
| Bottle filling and capping machine | — | — |
| Tunnel pasteurisation machine (62–82°C, 3 kW) | — | ₹5–10 lakh |
| Labelling machine with touch-screen control | — | — |
| Cold room (7 kW) | — | ₹5–12 lakh |
| All plant and machinery together | — | ₹15.00 lakh |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Bottling Plant (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Beer, wine or spirit for bottlingfrom licensed breweries or distilleries; raw material ₹49.50 lakh in year 1 of the report
- Glass bottles, caps and labelslabels carry batch, lot, bottling date and expiry
- Boxes and packing materialpackaging ₹1.18 lakh in year 1
From: PMEGP sample project report — Bottling Plant (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- State excise bottling licence and permits
- FSSAI licence
- State Pollution Control Board NOC
- Trade licence
- Udyam registration
- GST (for inputs; liquor itself is taxed by the state)
- BIS / ISO 22000 / HACCP certification if required
§6Schemes & subsidies
The sample sits on the PMEGP portal, but PMEGP keeps a negative list that bars intoxicant items, so confirm eligibility with the DIC or KVIC before applying. A bank loan may be covered under CGTMSE.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹15.00 lakh + furniture ₹0.50 lakh + other assets ₹1.50 lakh + working capital ₹7.78 lakh = ₹24.78 lakh. Land and building rented (₹20,000–25,000 a month).
Working capital: Working capital ₹7.78 lakh, of which a bank loan of ₹7.00 lakh; raw material is ₹49.50 lakh in year 1.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- Alcoholic beverages are APEDA-scheduled products; register with APEDA (RCMC) and hold an IEC.
- Exports also need state excise permission to remove stock from the bonded unit.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Licence refusal or cancellation
- State policy changes (prohibition, duty hikes)
- Breakage and theft of high-value stock
- Penalties for record errors
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working alcoholic drinks bottling plant unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (State excise bottling licence and permits, FSSAI licence), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Alcoholic Drinks Bottling Plant?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.